A walk in the park in my new grey gym pants!!!

I woke up early this sunday morning, smiled at the gradual light filling my room, got up and dressed for a healthy walk at my neighbourhood park. Before one jumps to errorneous conclusions regarding my sense of fitness and/or madness to have subjected my sunday morning to such treatment, I owe you and myself an explanation.
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I bought these new gym pants yesterday. I mean they are really hot. I had to grab the nearest occassion to wear them ... hey, what?!? You've never done this before ?!?
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So my little walk-in-the-park-to-show-off-my-new-gym-pants could have ended up being just that. Only that would have been plain embarassing to write home about. Therefore, this post is not really just about my fashion parade. It did start of dangerously like that. I was well aware of my I-Pod perfectly complemeting the shade of my new grey hot pants. I was confident and happy to be part of the walkers world. I switched on my music, decided to look out for cute joggers and took off.

I felt the gentle nudge of a soon-to-come winter in the cool morning air, just as my favourite country song came on. Suddenly, I started to notice the shades of green around me and a random thought of 'how green was not just one colour but many pretty ones' found its way to my head. I think thats when I began to forget what I'd really come here to do.

The brisk round of the park that I'd planned soon followed with a slow second. I took time to observe the obvious signs life around me and to look out for the quieter ones -

> I laughed quietly when a I passed group of pensioners sitting around practicing 'laughter therapy' and planning a movie at PVR.
> I smiled when I walked by a little girl of about 8 earnestly practicing 'Pranayam' that her grandmother was teaching her.
> Despite being a part of the large majority that watches but doesn't play cricket, I felt the child in me rejoice along with the kids I saw playing the game.
> I left the walkers path and strayed to a quiet place that gave me the illusion of being alone in the woods. I switched off my music and decided to really listen for the sounds and the silence of the woods. I was suprised that I actually heard something. I wasn't suprised at all that I liked what I heard.

I now sit at the duck pond, watching the most amusing flock of bright looking birds clumsily make their way out of the water to investigate my presence. I take out my journal and put my pen to paper. As I continue to watch them, there is a disturbing presence in the background ofthis otherwise deserted spot where I sit. I look up and see a middle aged man climb a distant tree and hang himself upside down from one of its brances as his wife looks on.

I stare and then decide I've seen enough for a day. Just then Dad calls and asks me if I intend being home in time for breakfast. I tell him Im getting up to leave and apologize for the delay.

As I get up to brush the leaves off of my pants I notice them only for the second time since I came to the park today. I smile. Not so much at the perfect fit and the perfect shade of grey, but at the passing thought that I might not be here if it were'nt for my new grey hot pants.

"Happy New Year" say we

We say it a lot. We say it many ways. We almost always mean it.
We also probably make our celebration of the occasion a tad too immoderate.

In fact, the entire month of December has a celebratory air to it. The SMS'es, the end of the year sales, the excessive partying seems all to be building momentum for that moment when the nearest clock strikes 12 on the night of the eve of the year to be ushered in. Phew.

As early as 2 weeks before, Ive had the girls ask if I've decided on/shopped for/confirmed with boyfriend what to wear on D day. Even before the eternal question of 'So what plans for New Years Eve?' is asked, let alone waited to be answered, the attire must be appropriated. Of course you have plans. You don't already??? But surely, something. Wait, I can arrange for passes. There's this fantabulous party on...

Then, there are the SMS'es, did I mention. I honestly like the more simple ones. Genuine somehow they seem to me. I even look forward to them. The bad jokes and the oh-they-never-end words of wisdom forwarded to the entire address book, get my goat.

Of course with clothes bought, drinking apetites suitably revived and rythmic dancing carelessly practiced, the New Year is more than eagerly awaited. Whichever DJ you're lucky to have, woud'nt have it in his music to get as many people on the dance floor as the 'last 5 minutes to New Year' cry does. Then there are mushy couples, formal smiley couples, large loud families, small quiet ones, peppy college girls, kids in pinks and greens all 'dancing the night away'. I do hope you're been at one of those parties where they have confetti sprayed down at the strike of 12, the lights switched off and sudden silence dramatically enhanced. It can be quite an anti climax to have the weather, the friends, the loved ones, quite nearly the same.

If you've been banking on the new clothes, the dancing and the large vodka to make you feel all 'Happy New Year', there might be a bit of a let down.

If you're lucky to be around people who care for you, the ones you love, then there's something that feels good in knowing that some things, despite the changing seasons and years will not change. Some will. For the better. For the worse. It is for us to evolve through all of this and learn our lessons.

Relationships will be made, some will need to be gotten over, a good many strenghthened.
Seasons will change, much as before (Im not accounting for global warming)
Go ahead, make your resolutions, honour some, you'll do just fine.

Its the 'New Year' , it is. And I wish you and me a very 'Happy' one.

Prelude

I officially work as an analyst with a leading consulting firm. Great, so after that icebreaker (as much of a disclaimer) I shall proceed to tell you a bit about this blog. The above mentioned occupation habituates a need for an agenda, a master plan and a vision for this or any document. For those of you who've battled the irritating desire to get straight to the blog contents and are still with me, be glad. I am going to share no such thing. I shall aim to put all my impulsive, random musings to some semblance of creative structure.

This not a reflection of the where I work, who I am, what I like or not.
This might mirror the world as I see it and also maybe as I would like to see it.
Sometimes its just some random musings.
But this blog comes from the heart.